(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
      Netherlands Slowpitch Team unbeaten after 3rd day European Championship
Nederlands
 COLORNO (Italy) -
The Netherlands Men's Slowpitch Softball Team has remained unbeaten in the preliminary round of the European Championship, which opened on Tuesday (June 14) in Italy.
On Thursday (June 16), the Orange Team recorded its fifth victory.
The tournament is held in the city of Colorno, which is located 90 kilometres (56 miles) northwest of Bologna and 15 kilometres (9 miles) north of Parma.
It is the second time that an European Men's Slowpitch Softball Championship is organized.
The first edition took place in 2018 in Choceî in the Czech Republic.
There, Great Britain captured the title and the Netherlands finished in third place.
On Tuesday, the Netherlands opened the tournament at Campo Dorotea Sofia in Colorno with a 14-10 victory against Ireland, then recorded a convincing 17-2 win against reigning European champion Great Britain later in the day.
On Wednesday, the Orange Team nipped Belgium 18-17, but then added a big 23-8 win against Italy in the evening.
On Thursday, the Netherlands came from behind, but won 20-15 against Germany.
With these five victories, the Netherlands is the lone unbeaten team and secured a spot in the Top-3 Play-Round that begins on Friday.
In the first game against Ireland, the Netherlands led 7-1 halfway the third inning.
Ireland then rallied for five runs, but the Netherlands answered with two runs in the fourth at bat.
Ireland narrowed the lead to 9-8 by scoring two more runs in the fifth.
The Orange Team then took more distance via 5-run rally in the top of the sixth inning.
The team also had scored five runs in the first inning.
Now trailing 14-8, Ireland managed to add only two more runs in the seventh inning.
Winning pitcher Hans Klück went the distance for the Netherlands.
The Netherlands collected 17 basehits in its opening-game, including three by Jos de Jong, who scored four runs.
All eleven starting players recorded at least one basehit.
Bas de Jong batted in seven runs.
He got four of them in the sixth inning when he hit a grand slam homerun that lifted the Dutch lead to 14-8.
...Bryan Engelhardt...
...6 homeruns, 16 RBI's, 12 runs scored...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The Netherlands opened the score in the first inning on a single by Jos de Jong, then two more runs were added when powerhitter Bryan Engelhardt hit a 2-run homerun.
Until last year, Engelhardt played in the highest Dutch baseball big league, but he retired after the season.
Last year, Engelhardt played for Quick Amersfoort.
Like Engelhardt, both Jos de Jong and Bas de Jong also have played in the Dutch baseball big league for many seasons.
The two brothers played for Amsterdam Pirates, HCAW and Quick Amersfoort.
Bas de Jong has been the Best Hitter in the Dutch baseball big league three times.
Another former baseball big league in the team is Siegert Flaneur, who played for Almere '90 and Sparta/Feyenoord.
Also on the Orange-roster is René Rijst, who played in 28 big league baseball-seasons, but he hasn't played yet.
After completion of the game against Ireland, the Netherlands had to plays its next game immediately thereafter, some forty minutes later.
This time, the team faced defending champion Great Britain, but the Netherlands set the tone with a 9-run rally in the bottom of the second inning.
The team added two more runs in the next at bat.
After Great Britain had scored its first run in the top of the fourth, the Orange Team rallied for four more runs in its fourth at bat to enlarge the distance.
This time, the Netherlands recorded 19 basehits.
Besides that, the team made no errors defensively, while the British Team made six.
Again, all Dutch starters got at least one basehit, led by Bas de Jong, who was 4-for-4, including two doubles and a homerun.
Bryan Engelhardt was 3-for-3 (two doubles, one homerun), scored three runs and also batted in three.
Siegert Flaneur also homered.
The Netherlands reached a 15-run difference with two outs in the sixth inning.
Winning pitcher was Rinaldo James, who threw all six innings for the Netherlands.
Jos de Jong, who had been a pitcher for most of his baseball-career, was the catcher in this game.
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...Bas de Jong (left) and Jos de Jong playing...
...for Amsterdam Pirates in the 2014 season...
© Both Photos: Henk Seppen) |
On Wednesday, the Netherlands first played against Belgium, which had lost big to Great Britain (21-2) on Tuesday and also had lost to Germany (18-12).
The team also appeared to suffer another big loss against the Netherlands, which led 14-3 halfway the third inning.
But then Belgium suddenly came back into the game and staged a 6-run rally in both the third and fourth inning to take a 15-14 lead!
That lead was shortlived, as the Netherlands reacted with a 4-run rally in the top of the fifth.
However, the game remained suspenseful.
With an 18-15 lead, the Dutch Team gave up two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, then hold onto the minimal lead.
The Netherlands was outhit 17-16 by Belgium, which made seven defensive errors.
The Orange-defense made three.
Amongst its 16 hits were six extra-basehits, three of them a homerun.
Bryan Engelhardt homered twice and batted in four runs.
Jos de Jong accounted for the third homerun.
Engelhardt, De Jong, Bas de Jong and Luensey Laken all scored three runs.
After two pitchers went the distance in the first two games, three pitchers were used against Belgium.
On Wednesday-evening, the Netherlands played against Italy.
Of course, this is always something special when these two countries face each other, whether it is baseball, women's softball, men's softball or in slowpitch.
Again, the Netherlands had a 9-run rally, this time doing it in the second inning when it already led 3-0.
Italy scored twice in the third, fourth and fifth inning, but the Orange-scoring wasn't over yet.
With a 16-6 lead, the Netherlands added two runs in the sixth, then rallied for five more runs in the seventh.
...Siegert Flaneur with...
...Sparta/Feyenoord in 2012...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In this game, the Netherlands collected 28 basehits, which is the highest total so far in any game during this Championship.
In the afternoon on Wednesday, Great Britain got 27 basehits in a 27-4 win against Germany.
Siegert Flaneur was the leading Dutch hitter, as he was 5-for-5 (one double, two triples), scored four runs and batted in six.
Bryan Engelhardt also homered again and batted in five runs.
Renzo van Kranen scored four Orange-runs.
Hans Klück threw another complete 7-inning game and was the winning pitcher for the second time.
He earned a save in the game against Belgium.
On Thursday, the Netherlands closed the preliminary round against Germany, which had won two of its four previous games.
Initially, the Orange Team faced a big 9-0 deficit halfway the second inning after the Germans had scored seven runs in the top half of this at bat.
The Netherlands then came back and scored three runs in its second at bat, then four in the third inning and five in the fourth inning.
In the meantime, Germany added only one run in the fourth.
And so, the Netherlands led 12-10 after four innings, but then Germany had another rally, scoring four runs in the top of the fifth inning.
However, in slowpitch softball, the score can change very quickly and many runs can be scored in one at bat.
Trailing 14-12, the Orange-squad turned the game around in the bottom of the fifth with a 6-run rally.
This time, the team hold onto the lead.
There not only were 35 runs in this game, there also were 46 basehits, including 27 for the Netherlands.
Bas de Jong and Rogillio Vriese both got four basehits.
De Jong homered, as did Bryan Engelhardt and Jos de Jong.
Winning pitcher Josse Josemans gave up 19 basehits and 15 earned runs, but went the distance for the Netherlands.
After the preliminary round ended, Bryan Engelhardt led the tournament in homeruns (6), runs batted in (16), runs scored (12, with Jos de Jong) and slugging average (1.875).
Bas de Jong is currently the best Dutch hitter with a .765 batting average, followed by Siegert Flaneur, who bats .684.
The roster of the Netherlands Team looks as follows:
Pitchers:
Rinaldo James, Josse Josemans and Hans Klück.
Infielders:
Bryan Engelhardt, Siegert Flaneur, Renzo van Kranen, Francis Martina, René Rijst and William Visser.
Outfelders:
Wouter Bollebakker, Christopher Jandroep, Bas de Jong, Jos de Jong, Luensey Laken and Rogillio Vriese.
Utility Players:
Serge Meijer and Mitchell Visser.
Staff:
Etienne Meijer (Manager), Michelle Kolkman (Physical Therapist), Kim Moerman (Staff-member).
(June 16)
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